Office Depot, CompuCom to offer tech tools, hardware for small businesses

Dive Brief:

Office Depot and CompuCom, both subsidiaries of the ODP Corporation, have teamed up to provide a suite of IT hardware and service offerings for small and mid-sized businesses to support their remote workplaces, the company announced on Monday.
Companies with between 50 and 1,500 users can access a range of services, including remote IT support, on-site hardware and software repair, and eco-friendly disposal of IT equipment, according to the company statement.
The retailer has already worked with some small businesses, including Faebris, an Atlanta-based infectious disease healthcare practice, and Platinum Coating, a Charlotte, North Carolina-based commercial fire-stopping, fire-proofing and painting company, per the company statement.

Dive Insight:

Add Office Depot to the growing list of companies catering to small and mid-sized businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, including eBay, Builder.ai and Facebook. among others. With its collection of resources, Office Depot and CompuCom aim to assist businesses with managing their IT infrastructure during the pandemic and beyond.

"The pandemic is causing small business owners to identify new solutions for their IT operations so that they can keep business going," Stephen Mohan, executive vice president of the business solutions division for Office Depot, said in a statement. "We created powered by CompuCom to give our customers the freedom to choose the services and technology that best fit their business needs."

Office Depot has undergone changes during the coronavirus pandemic, too. Back in May, the retailer announced it would cut more than 13,000 jobs by 2023 as part of a restructuring plan that focuses the company more on its business-to-business solutions and IT services units. In July, parent company ODP Corporation also named former Amazon exec Terry Leeper as executive vice president and chief technology officer.

"The Future of Work is here, and we intend to be at the forefront of helping SMBs focus their resources on managing their business and not their IT," Mick Slattery, president of CompuCom, said in a statement. "We are committed to providing them with the technologies and services they need to scale their IT operations and redefine their digital platforms.